Always There To Save You
by TheDangerousHumanLizardCat
Summary: After bringing Bruno back to life, Yusei finds himself in the thrills of romantic involvement. However, as he and his friends soon discover, without proper care and treatment the human mind can only endure so much trauma before it collapses. Yusei will have to rely on more than just a little help from his friends to bring himself back to a state of normalcy.
1. Chapter 1

Yusei stretched and leaned back in his desk chair. He yawned and rubbed his eyes. He'd worked exceptionally hard today, and wanted to continue, but felt exhaustion taking over.

"You've been working hard today," a voice said, causing Yusei to look behind himself.

"Oh, hey Bruno," Yusei said, his head leaning backwards over the back of his chair.

"I thought you might like some tea," Bruno said, handing the other a steaming cup.

"Thank you," Yusei said, taking the cup. He inhaled the steam and took a sip. "Delicious," he said, taking another sip. "Like always."

"I'm glad," Bruno said with a small smile. He leaned back against the wall.

"You always take such good care of me," Yusei said, returning the smile. "I'm lucky to have such a good friend like you."

Bruno laughed softly. "You seem tired," he said, surveying Yusei's slightly slouched posture. "Are you finally done for the day?"

"I think I have to be," Yusei said, sipping more of his tea. "I don't want to be, but I'm not sure if I can do anymore today."

"You put in more than enough time," Bruno said. "I was going to go watch some TV for a little bit before going to bed, you're welcome to join me."

"I think I will," Yusei said. He shut down his computer and finished his tea. "I want to go wash up first… Mind if I join you in a few minutes?"

"Take your time," Bruno said, smiling again. "I'll see you soon." He turned to leave the room. Yusei followed a few moments later. He went upstairs to his room and changed into soft pants and a t-shirt. He crossed the hall to the bathroom, where he washed his face and brushed his teeth. Walking back down the stairs, he smiled softly thinking back on the tea Bruno had brought him, and how relaxed it had made him feel. Bruno… Come to think of it, anything he did with Bruno made him feel relaxed. That thought in mind, he looked forward to spending some time with Bruno before turning in for the night.

He found Bruno on the couch in the living room and walked over to join him. "Hey there," Bruno said as Yusei sat down.

"Hi," Yusei said, leaning back. He sighed and relaxed quietly for a moment. "How was your day?"

"The usual," Bruno replied, shrugging. "My life's not nearly as eventful as yours…or at least, not anymore, haha."

Yusei smiled at Bruno's remark. Bruno chuckled as well. "How was your day, Yusei?"

"Tiring," Yusei replied with honesty. I made progress on repairing my D-Wheel, but reprogramming it is proving unusually difficult this time… I keep running into glitches, and am struggling to get it to run smoothly." Yusei lowered his head. "I still feel so ashamed about it."

A week before, Yusei's D-Wheel had malfunctioned in the middle of a duel and crashed badly. Yusei had lost the duel as a result, an embarrassing defeat. Upon inspecting his damaged bike, he'd found the cause of the accident had simply been an older part frying out. Unfortunately, a newer model of that part had been all that was available. While it was compatible, programming to accommodate it had been a challenge. Yusei hadn't been badly injured in the crash, but had sustained a deep gash on his arm. He'd been lucky that Bruno had been nearby and carried him to the hospital.

"I'm sorry that happened," Bruno said, giving Yusei a sad look. "How's your arm?"

Yusei rolled up his sleeve a bit to reveal stitches closing the wound. "Its healing," he said, "but its still quite sore."

"You poor thing," Bruno said sympathetically. He looked Yusei up and down and noticed he was shivering slightly. Bruno leaned towards the other couch and grabbed a throw blanket. "Want to get under this with me?"

Yusei's face lit up. "Yes, thank you," he said, appreciating his friend's awareness of his needs. He moved closer as Bruno unfolded the blanket and draped it over the two of them. Yusei moved a little closer and rested his head on Bruno's shoulder. Bruno looked down and smiled.

"Comfortable?" he asked.

"Mhmm," Yusei replied, nodding. Bruno slid his arm around the back of Yusei and placed his hand on his far shoulder. Yusei responded by nuzzling into Bruno's chest a bit. Bruno felt his face flush read and hoped Yusei was comfortable; he was too afraid to ask. He focused his attention back to the screen, trying to calm down. A few minutes later, he noticed Yusei's breathing had changed. He looked down to see his friend asleep on his chest. He thought about what to do, wanting to make Yusei more comfortable, but afraid to wake him. He decided to stay there until the end of the show he'd been watching. When the show ended, he carefully lifted Yusei from the couch. Gently as he could, he carried Yusei upstairs to his room. He placed Yusei gently in his bed and covered him with the blankets. Before leaving, he gently pushed Yusei's hair away from his face.

"Goodnight, Yusei," he whispered softly. As he walked to his own room, Bruno thought about all of the clothing that had been on the floor in Yusei's room, and made a mental note to do a load of laundry the next day.


	2. Chapter 2

"No…no…no, stop…"

"Yusei?"

Yusei sat up in bed, sweating profusely and panting slightly. A soft light filled the room and he looked up to see Bruno standing in the doorway. "Bruno?"

"I heard noises coming from your room," Bruno said, walking slowly into the room. "Are you alright?"

"Erm, yea, nightmare," Yusei grunted, becoming aware of his exposed torso and pulling the blankets up to cover himself. Sometime after Bruno had brought him to bed, he'd woken up and taken off his shirt. He was glad he had because of how warm he now felt, but embarrassed to be seen undressed. His torso had a fair amount of bruises from the accident, and he felt ashamed being seen as injured by Bruno.

"What was it about?" Bruno asked delicately.

"The accident," Yusei said, stll working to keep himself covered. "I don't know why its gone to my head so much."

"Well, you did hit your head pretty hard," Bruno replied, taking a seat on the edge of the bed. "Its amazing you weren't hurt more."

"Yeah, I got lucky, I guess," Yusei replied. "I'm sorry I woke you up."

"I was already up," Bruno said with a reassuring smile. "I don't sleep much anyways, remember? I just wanted to make sure you're okay." He paused and looked at Yusei, who was still desperately trying to cover his own torso. "Am I making you uncomfortable?"

"No, I, uh…" Yusei thought for a moment. "I'm just…ngh…can you keep a secret?"

"Of course," Bruno replied instantly. "You can tell me anything."

"I'm…embarrassed," Yusei said, slowly dropping the blankets to reveal his bruised torso. "I don't want anyone to know how hurt I really was."

Bruno looked Yusei up and down, taking in every mark. He looked to Yusei's eyes, but Yusei avoided eye contact. "Yusei," Bruno said softly. "What shame is there in having been hurt? You were in a major accident, of course your body would have taken some damage." Yusei turned his head away. Bruno moved a bit closer. "Your body is beautiful."

Yusei looked quickly to Bruno, startled. Bruno, reqlizing the implications of what he had said, turned bright red and covered his mouth. "S-sorry," he stammered. "I just mean that…you don't look bad." He covered his eyes with his other hand as he thought, 'Argh, that's no better.' He took a shaky breath in. "I'm sorry, I'll just stop talking."

Yusei stared at Bruno, his eyes widened with shock. "Thank you," he said, his voice surprisingly calm. His face had flushed a little bit as well. Bruno lowered his hands to cover only part of his face, still not looking at Yusei. "You don't have to stop talking," Yusei said. "Your words are comforting."

Bruno dropped his hands, his face still flushed. He sighed a bit and looked towards Yusei. "I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable, if I did," he said softly.

"You didn't," Yusei replied, shaking his head. "I feel so much better about this now," he continued, dropping the sheets comfortably at last. "If you see me as beautiful when I am damaged like this, then I must be beautiful."

It was Yusei's turn to blush first. Realizing what he had just said, he covered his mouth. "Sorry, I just did it too…"

Bruno's face flushed fully again, but he didn't look away. "Its okay, Yusei," he said with a soft laugh. The two smiled and laughed for a minute, waiting for the embarrassment to fade. After another minute, Bruno said, "Well, I should let you get back to sleep."

"I should do the same for you," Yusei replied. He looked up to Bruno's face again. "Bruno…would you want to stay here with me?"

Bruno looked quickly to Yusei. "With you—in..your bed?" he asked, hesitantly.

"There's more than enough room for both of us," Yusei replied, trying to keep cool Bruno pondered for a moment.

"Could be…fun… Alright, yes, I will." He stood up and pulled off his shirt to match Yusei, and then crawled under the blankets as Yusei moved over to give him room. As he settled in, he realized that Yusei was wearing only a pair of boxer shorts. "Sorry, I guess I should have taken off my pants, too," he said, quickly continuing with "I mean—so you don't get too warm."

"You should sleep however you're comfortable," Yusei replied in the darkness. Bruno waited a moment before sliding out of his pajama pants and tossing them to the floor with his shirt. He lay still for a moment before realizing that Yusei had crept closer to him.

"Sorry, I can move—"

"Don't," Yusei interrupted, "unless you're uncomfortable. I thought it might be nice to cuddle."

"Oh." Bruno moved closer to Yusei, wrapping his arms around him, pulling him closer. With his front against Yusei's back, he couldn't help but feel how perfectly they fit together. He nuzzled into the nape of Yusei's neck, and then froze when he felt himself become alert.

Yusei felt Bruno grow against his back, and was startled to feel himself rise in response. Deciding to go with it, he wriggled his hips a bit, grinding against Bruno. Bruno let out a small groan.

"Yusei…" he exhaled.

"Hmm?"

"Am I making you uncomfortable?"

"No… Am I making you uncomfortable?

"Not at all."

"Do you trust me?"

"Of course."

"Then…" Yusei reached back and took Bruno's hand, guiding it downwards. Would you mind…this?"

"Ah—" Bruno gasped a bit as his fingers made contact with Yusei's bare anatomy. He hesitated before wrapping them around and stroking Yusei gently.

"Unh…" Yusei moaned, grinding back against Bruno again. After a moment, he rolled over to face Bruno. "Can I kiss you?"

Bruno blushed, visibly even in the darkness. "It… To kiss my best friend…would be an honor," he replied. He leaned closer to Yusei, closing his eyes as Yusei did the same.

Pure bliss burst from the two as their lips met. Bruno placed a hand on the back of Yusei's head, holding him close. Yusei tangled his fingers in Bruno's hair.

"Yusei…" Bruno murmured as they broke the kiss.

"Bruno…" Yusei replied. The two met with a kiss again. Yusei's hands trailed over Bruno's body, exploring as they went. Bruno pulled Yusei closer, moaning softly into each kiss. Yusei dragged one hand to between Bruno's legs, pulling him out to the open. He watched Bruno's face as he moved his hand, tracing his fingers all around, finding a sweet spot and teasing it. Bruno buried his face into Yusei's neck, biting down on his shoulder. Yusei moved his hips closer to Bruno, grinding the two of them together. Bruno grabbed hold of Yusei and pulled the remaining undergarment off of him. In a moment, he had removed his own as well, and positioned himself to enter Yusei.

"Wait—" Yusei said suddenly. He looked away.

"What is it?" Bruno asked, suddenly filled with concern. Yusei took a moment before responding.

"I'm sorry, I know I'm the one who started this, but can we stop here? I…I can't go on right now."

"Oh, yes, of course," Bruno replied, releasing Yusei. "I'm sorry that I went too far."

"You didn't, and you don't have to stop holding me," Yusei said, slowly turning back towards Bruno. "I did want it to go there, and I thought I could handle it, but I couldn't. I'm sorry you're being left hanging as a result."

"Ah, don't worry about me," Bruno said, nuzzling Yusei's hair gently. "Is…is something wrong? Did something happen?"

"Uhm…yeah, a while agi," Yusei said, finally relaxing. "Years before I met you, when Kallin and I had that falling out; our relationship had been more than most people knew, and it got bad at the end. After he became so twisted, our involvement became toxic. I stopped consenting, but he kept going. I didn't leave, though, because I wanted to help him, to save him. I did all I could…but eventually, I couldn't take it anymore. He kept hurting me. Physically, I mean. The mental stuff, I was able to block out until the end. Then it all came crashing in, and a lot of damage was left inside my mind." Yusei paused for a moment. "I haven't been able to get intimate with anyone since then."

"Oh, gosh, Yusei… I'm so sorry that happened," Bruno said, looking sorrowfully at his friend. "Had you tried to get intimate with anyone since then?"

"Yeah, Crow and I tried a couple of times, but it never really went anywhere. "I'd get stuck early on. It had mostly been me just trying to get past some of the trauma from Kallin, but Crow was up for anything." Yusei stopped, feeling his voice get caught. "I'm sorry you had to get dragged into my mess."

"Yusei, don't be sorry," Bruno said, hugging Yusei close again. "Its an honor that you let me get as close as I did, and I'm so happy you were able to share your past with me." Bruno kissed the other's forehead gently. "I'm sorry that you had to go through all of that."

Yusei nodded, a couple of tears falling silently down his face. "I'm so thankful to have friends like you to help me through everything," he said, his voice stained with sadness. "And I'm sorry for falling apart like this now… Its so unfair to you."

"Oh, no, I'm happy to be here for you," Bruno replied, stroking the other's hair gently. "Especially now, when you need it… You do so much for everyone else, its time somebody was there to help you through your darker moments." Bruno smiled warmly. "Don't apologize anymore, okay?"

"Okay." Yusei was quiet for a few moments, and wiped his eyes dry before speaking again. "Please… If its not too much trouble for you… Stay here with me for the rest of the night."

"Of course," Bruno replied, holding Yusei tighter. "I couldn't possibly leave you alone when you're feeling like this. Besides, I'd already agreed to stay the night with you."


	3. Chapter 3

Yusei awoke to find the bed empty next to him. He rubbed his eyes, remembering the events of the night before. He blushed as he remembered inviting Bruno into his bed and then instigating intimate happenings. A pang of guilt hit him when he remembered stopping things early. He wondered if that was what led to Bruno's absence then, and realized he was still naked.

After pulling his pajama pants on, Yusei walked downstairs to the kitchen. He was pleasantly surprised to see Bruno there, cooking eggs.

"Good morning," Yusei said.

"Ahh!" Bruno yelped, dropping the spatula onto the counter. "Ah, good morning Yusei! Sorry, you surprised me there." Bruno laughed for a moment. "How are you feeling this morning? I see you are feeling confident enough to come out without a shirt."

"Yea, well, you taught me a valuable lesson last night."

"Oh? What was that?"

"That a couple of scratches don't change who I am, or damage my strength. That even if my body is damaged, I don't have to be, and have nothing to hide. Most importantly, that I can always trust and rely on my friends to help me back up." Yusei looked to Bruno. "Thank you for that."

"Oh, of course, any time I can brighten your day or night, I'm glad to help!" Bruno smiled. "Now, would you like some breakfast?"

"Yes, please," Yusei replied. Bruno served him eggs and joined him at the table with eggs of his own. "These are delicious," Yusei told Bruno after a couple bites. Bruno smiled in thanks. A few minutes later, Yusei spoke again. "Bruno…do…do you want to talk about last night?"

"Last night?" Bruno repeated with a questioning tone. "Sure. I've got nothing in particular to say yet, other than how much I enjoyed it."

"I'm glad to hear that," Yusei replied. "Well…its obvious I've had feelings for you. I don't know what your feelings towards me are, though."

"You've—had feelings for me?" Bruno almost spat out his eggs. "Before now?"

"I…yes. I realize them a while ago, before you…well, before your accident, but I tried to suppress them once you were back. Last night really solidified them." Yusei looked away for a moment. "I'm…sorry. I'm being very forward."

"No, no—its alright," Bruno said, working to regain his composure. "I…uhm… If I may say so at this point, I've had feelings for you for quite a while, too. I'd recognized them long before regaining my memories, acknowledged them, but never thought to do anything about them. It just…felt nice, liking you. It was a good feeling. Every once in a while it would flare up more, and I'd become flustered and have to excuse myself if you were near, but even then it was just a really enjoyable sensation. Having a crush on my best friend… Well, more than a crush. Being…erm…in love. Still, it always felt wonderful." Bruno stopped and blushed. "I'm sorry, now I've gone off too much."

"its okay, really," Yusei said, looking at his friend, his own face still a bit pink. The two sat in silence for a few moments before Yusei spoke again. "So… Where do we go from here?"

"I would think…the answer to that should be left up to you," Bruno replied.

"Then…uhm…" Yusei thought again. "I think…I'd like to start by kissing you again."

Bruno didn't speak, but instantly moved towards Yusei, not hesitating to reach and kiss him. The two kissed again and again, pulling each other closer with each breath.

"Ngh…" Yusei made a noise. His face flushed again. "Sorry, I, uhm…" He looked away.

"Embarrassed?" Bruno asked gently. "Feeling a bit…up?" Yusei nodded. "Me too."

"I'm sorry," Yusei said, turning back to Bruno. "Its not fair that I keep doing that to you. I wish I could relieve you of those feelings, but I—"

"Its okay, Yusei," Bruno said, taking the other's hands and looking directly into his eyes. "Kissing you is an honor and the most wonderful thing I've ever experienced. I couldn't ask for more than that." He took Yusei's hands into his own and kissed them. "It would be wrong of me to expect anything."

"I…erm…" Yusei paused to take a deep breath. "I want you to be the person with whom I am able to regain intimacy."

Bruno was silent for a moment, staring blankly at Yusei. "Yusei, I…"

"You don't have to do anything with me," Yusei said. "I will never push you into anything. You are my best friend, and I am very comfortable with you. So if I am going to regain the ability to be intimate with anybody… I hope it can be you."

"I…I'm honored," Bruno said, regaining his senses. He broke into a smile and laughed for a moment. "But, isn't Crow your best friend?"

"Well, he was, yes, but since you came back… I guess that's a difficult thing to say, really," Yusei replied, thinking for a moment. "I think you're both my best friends. My friendship with Crow hasn't diminished at all, but you live with me now, and I'm…well…much closer with you." Yusei shrugged. Bruno smiled warmly and reached out to place a hand on Yusei's.

"I feel even more honored to hear you say that. I…hope you can regain your ability to be intimate, with me. I…honestly, can't remember clearly if I've ever been intimate with anyone. Its not like a corrupted memory or anything, just, something that wouldn't have been as important with everything else going on at the time I was the right age…for the first time," Bruno said with a snicker. "Oh goodness…well… I can't remember, but with you, I'm sure it would be wonderful."

"Thank you, Bruno," Yusei said. The two sat in silence for a few moments before Bruno spoke again.

"Hey, uh… Yusei?"

"Yeah?"

"Do you, uhm… Do you want to be my boyfriend?"

Yusei blushed brightly before smiling. "I'd love to, Bruno."

"Ah- great! Then…" He lifted Yusei's hand and kissed it. "I place myself entirely in your care, in your heart."

Yusei blushed even more and smiled wider. "This… Bruno, you're incredible." The two looked into each other's eyes, feeling a deeper connection between them.

"Just…one thing," Yusei said.

"What is it?" Bruno asked.

"I don't think we should tell the others. Not for a while, at least."

"Oh gosh, I couldn't agree more," Bruno replied. "They might… Well, we'd never hear the end of it. Jack would be so...jealous."

"Haha, true, but Jack knows when to lay off of me." Yusei smiled, looking at Bruno. Boyfriend… He loved the sound of that word coming from Bruno's voice. With Kallin as the only one he'd been that to before, it felt wonderful to be called that by someone considerably more stable and loving.

"Yusei?" Bruno asked softly. "Are you alright?"

"Yes, Bruno… I am. I really am." Yusei leaned in to Bruno again and wrapped his arms around him. "Thank you so much…for caring about me the way that you do."

Bruno broke into a smile as he embraced the other. "Of course, he said. "You've done so much for me. I only hope I can return the favor."


	4. Chapter 4

"No…no…Bruno…no… NO!"

"Yusei!"

"Gah-!"

Yusei woke up sweating and panting. He felt his heart pounding and tried to steady himself. He felt an arm slide behind him and help him into a sitting position. He realized he wasn't alone, and remembered Bruno had gone to bed with him.

"Are you alright, Yusei?" Bruno asked, working to steady his boyfriend.

"I…yeah, I am now, thanks to you," Yusei said between pants.

"Did you have another nightmare?" Bruno asked, gently.

"Yea, this… I…don't know if I can talk about this one." Yusei looked away from Bruno and felt himself beginning to lose composure a bit. He felt reminded of the nights when, not so many months ago, he'd dreamt this dream before, and Crow had come to his rescue. He felt very thankful to Crow, but ashamed that he'd had to rely on somebody else so much to help him keep his sanity. That sanity which must have been starting to slip again now, with the returning frequency of nightmares, and this particular dream. Yusei shivered. He couldn't go back to that place… he couldn't go back there. He'd recovered so much, made so much progress… After another shiver, Bruno put his arm around Yusei to comfort him.

"Can you try to tell me?" Bruno asked with a gentle, understanding tone. Yusei swallowed and stared down at the blankets.

"I…this… I dreamt of when you…when you…died."

"Ah." Bruno looked directly at Yusei, who was still staring down at the blankets. "Well… You brought me back to life. I'm eternally grateful for that, and will be here always now thanks to you. I won't leave you." He pushed Yusei's hair back out of his face. "I won't leave you, and I'll hold together whenever you need to break."

Yusei continued to stare down at his lap and cringed a bit. His lower lip trembled and he gripped the sheets. "Shouldn't've happened."

"Hmm?"

"That should never have happened." Yusei closed his eyes. "You shouldn't have died. I should have been able to save you."

"You did save me," Bruno said with a small laugh. "You pulled my body from the wreckage. You dragged me home and operated on me to fuse my circuits back together and breathed life into me once more. Then you spent days developing a code to regenerate my flesh so that I could be human again. You spent countless hours decrypting my memories so that I would know who you are, and who I am, and both lives that I'd been through so far, and wrote code after code to give me consciousness again. You did all of that, Yusei. Singlehandedly, you saved me."

"Yes, but…" Yusei's voice cracked a bit. "Watching you fly through the air, getting sucked into the black hole… Finding you later and seeing your body in pieces…"

"Ahh, I get it," Bruno said warmly. He put a hand on Yusei's shoulder. "That hurt you…deeply…didn't it?" Bruno could feel Yusei nod. "It was very painful for you. Shockingly so, I'd say, given how much its shaken you, how strongly it still plays in your mind..."

"Its…because I love you so much," Yusei struggled to say before succumbing to tears. "I l-loved you then, I love you still…" Tears poured down his face. "Your circuits don't matter… They're beautiful. You're not a robot, y-you're a person…my person…" Yusei's voice shook with sobs. "J-Jack was so jealous of how I'd gotten so close to you, and Crow warned me to not let my heart get broken again…but its because I loved you… I needed you so badly, and then you came into my life, and then you died… You can't be gone…you can't…"

"I'm right here, Yusei," Bruno said firmly. He pulled his shaking boyfriend closer and hugged him tightly. He kissed his head several times. "You never really got this out, did you?"

Yusei took a moment to quiet himself before he spoke. "I screamed so much, so loudly… I screamed for days. Jack wanted to call sector security and have me hauled off to the hospital, but Crow saw me working on you and made him leave me alone. I'd never screamed so much in my life…but it wasn't enough." Yusei wiped his eyes before returning to Bruno's shoulder. "It still hurts this much."

"I know… I can see that." Bruno nuzzled Yusei's head gently. "What did you do while I was gone? Besides, well, screaming and working on me…and recreating Momentum, which is a huge accomplishment! I can't believe that wasn't enough to give you happiness and satisfaction. Well… I guess I can, knowing…also how it feels to lose someone so important to you…" Bruno's voice trailed off as he got lost in a memory. He quickly pulled himself back to the present and looked back to Yusei. "So, what else did you do?"

"That's…really all I did. Once Momentum was finished, there was nothing to focus on besides you, and…the memory of losing you." Yusei took a steadying breath. "I tried to sleep, when I got too tired to be able to focus, but sleep was nearly impossible. I was too broken up. Crow brought me into his own bed when he'd hear me try to go to bed, after a while. I'd woken him up with my stupid nightmares too many times… I was able to get a little rest there, in his arms, but it couldn't mend many of the broken pieces of my heart. It just calmed the nightmares enough for me to get some rest."

"Would you want to see if Crow is up and could see you now?" Bruno asked, stroking Yusei's hair.

"No, being here in your arms is…even more calming." Yusei leaned into Bruno more willingly. "I'm just sorry that I'm such a bother, for you, for Crow…being still so…so…this."

"You had your heart broken, Yusei," Bruno said, softly. "That's not an easy thing to come back from. On top of that, you had no way to fight it or brace for it this time." He kissed Yusei's head again. "No one expects you to be over this quickly."

Yusei pressed his head against Bruno's chest for a few moments, listening to his heart beating amongst the soft hum of circuits. He felt so thankful that out of all of Bruno's organic components, his heart was one that had survived and been able to remain human. "Thanks, Bruno," Yusei said softly. He sat up and wrapped his arms around theo ther's neck, nuzzling him softly. "I think… I think I could rest more easily now."

Bruno smiled softly and leaned in to give Yusei a kiss. Yusei met him and returned the kiss. When they broke apart, Bruno winked at Yusei and indicated for him to lay down. He kept his arm out across Yusei's pillow for Yusei to lay his head on. "Love you, Yusei," Bruno said, leaning in to kiss him once more.

"Love you too, Bruno," Yusei replied, nuzzling into Bruno's arm. He closed his eyes softly, feeling Bruno slide closer to him and within moments, fell into the embrace of sleep.


	5. Chapter 5

Despite the endless thrill of now having Bruno as his boyfriend, Yusei's emotional state had continued to deteriorate over the next few weeks. He felt happiness with Bruno, of course, and was hopelessly excited for their relationship. Unfortunately, however, he'd continued to slip into a darker place, plagued by his nightmares. He felt his mind becoming more twisted again, as it had been before he'd brought Bruno back, and cursed himself for not being able to keep himself from falling again. Figures… He was strong enough to save the world, twice, but not strong enough to save himself. The worst part was, while Bruno had awareness of Yusei's nightmares and could see Yusei falling into a darker place, he hadn't quite put together that it was Yusei's sanity falling apart that was causing him such distress. Yusei had confided in him that he'd been in a bad way before bringing him back, but left out parts of the story, including self-destructive tendencies he'd started to develop that had been quickly squashed by an ever-watchful Crow. He also didn't admit to Bruno, or any of his other friends for that matter, that at a more recent doctor's appointment he'd been diagnosed with PTSD. That diagnosis made sense, he thought, with all that he'd been through, but he'd ignored the warnings on just how severely it could impact him and refused treatment. And so, Bruno did his best to keep Yusei focused and alert, unaware of just how deep his boyfriend was in the trauma.

Yusei was completely unfocused, sitting at his desk. Bruno came down the stairs and walked towards him, carrying a cup of tea. Bruno surveyed Yusei's appearance and sighed before greeting him.

"Hey there, handsome," Bruno said with a smile, moving into Yusei's line of sight. Yusei jerked and blinked a few times before looking towards Bruno. Bruno smiled, handing him the tea. "Lost again?"

"Uhm…yeah," Yusei replied, taking a sip of the tea. "I…have no idea how long I was out that time."

"I'd say around twenty minutes," Bruno replied, pulling his chair over next to Yusei. "Its getting worse, isn't it?"

"I think so," Yusei said, his tone defeated. "I wish I could just…snap out of it."

"You're doing your best, I know it," Bruno said, rolling his chair to behind Yusei. He placed his hands on Yusei's shoulders and proceeded to give him a massage. "Is this really all…just because I died?"

"No." Yusei's answer had been quicker and more resolute than Bruno had been expecting. Bruno's face perked up a bit, feeling relief that he wasn't the sole cause for his boyfriend's undoing.

"What else is bothering you?"

"I…can't say."

"You can tell me anything, Yusei," Bruno reassured him, moving his own hands up to the other's neck.

"I… I know that, but… I just can't with this right now. Eventually, maybe I'll be able to tell you, but right now… It hurts more than anything I've ever felt, and I'm afraid I will break into pieces if I talk about it. I wish I could just let go of it, but…" Yusei lowered his head, feeling incredibly low.

"I understand," Bruno said, massaging Yusei's scalp. "I had secrets in my first life that I couldn't bring myself to share with anyone else. Sometimes I wondered if being more open about them would have helped change the course of the future, but I just couldn't do it. Of course, I suppose that's for the best, because that future brought me to you." Bruno leaned forward to kiss the back of Yusei's head. "I love you, Yusei, and I want you to feel better. Somehow you'll break through this, and I'm here to help whenever you need me." Bruno kissed the other's head again.

"I love you too, Bruno," Yusei said with a sigh. "I haven't gotten anything done today."

"That's okay," Bruno replied. "Do you want to go out for lunch today?" Getting out might do you some good."

"Okay," Yusei agreed, turning to give Bruno a kiss. "Thank you for taking care of me."

"Of course, Love," Bruno chuckled, helping Yusei to stand. He snagged the other's jacket off of the hook by the door and held it open for Yusei to slide into.

The two held hands as they walked up the street to a restaurant. They sat at a table outside. Soon after they had ordered food, they heard a familiar voice calling out to them.

"Hey! Yusei! Bruno!"

Both looked up to see Crow walking over towards them.

"Hey, Crow! How are you?" Bruno greeted the orange-haired boy with a handshake.

"Not too shabby myself, mind if I join you guys?"

"Please do," Bruno replied, pulling out an empty chair and flagging over their waitress. Crow took a seat and placed his order. He then looked over towards Yusei.

"Sheesh, Yus, you're down in the dumps," Crow said, surveying his friend. "I can just about feel the sadness radiating off of you. What's going on, man?"

"Crow, I…" Yusei took a moment before speaking fully. "I can't really talk about it right now, or not yet, at least. I've been…having a lot of nightmares, again, and just… I'm a little lost."

Crow studied his friend carefully. "The nightmares are back, huh?" Yusei gave a shy nod. "Were you traumatized by something new that happened?"

"No, nothing new," Yusei replied. "Just…something that already happened, something I already knew."

Crow shot a glance at Bruno, who quickly said "That's more than I got out of him."

"Bruno's been saving me from the nightmares a lot, like you used to do," Yusei continued. "Sometimes…they carry into the day though."

Crow went to ask another question, but was interrupted by the arrival of their food. The conversation shifted to a lighter tone as they ate. When they finished, Bruno excused himself to pay the bill. Crow moved a bit closer to Yusei.

"Hey, Yus, is something going on between the two of you?" he asked in a hushed voice. Yusei looked up.

"What do you mean?"

"Are you sleeping together?"

Yusei blinked a few times before answering. "We've shared a bed more recently, so that he's closer to wake me up from the nightmares. Kind of like when I used to sleep with you, but…nothing more than that." Yusei paused to look up at Crow. "Nothing like with Kallin," he added, seeing the look Crow was giving him.

"He's not doing anything to hurt you? I trust him and value his friendship and all, but its unusual for you to be so down like this."

"Bruno is helping me," Yusei said, looking Crow in the eyes. "He is keeping me from caving completely."

"Hmm… Well, alright," Crow conceded. "You're always welcome at my place if you need anything." Crow placed a hand on Yusei's. "I don't like seeing you relapsing like this, but I know what you've been through, and know that you'd tell me if you're losing it completely."

"Thank you, Crow," Yusei said. A moment later, Bruno returned. "I'm going to run to the bathroom, I'll be right back." Yusei excused himself from the table. Bruno and Crow nodded in acknowledgement and watched as he walked away.

"Did he say anything?" Bruno asked. Crow shook his head.

"No, he's sealed up," he said. "I haven't seen him down like this in ages. Closest to this was when you died, which was of course, worse…but different." Crow shook his head again. "I wish I knew what was going on inside his heart."

Bruno nodded in agreement. "I hope he can feel better soon."

"Has he been eating?" Crow asked. Bruno tilted his hand from side to side.

"Enough," he said, seeing Yusei returning in the distance. "If I find out anything, I'll call you, okay?"

"Sounds great, and same," Crow replied, standing as Yusei reached the table. "Hey guys, I've gotta' head back to work. I'll see you around soon, okay?" He gave Yusei a hug and whispered, "Call me if you need anything, alright?" Yusei nodded. Crow and Bruno shook hands again, and Crow departed. Bruno put an arm around Yusei's shoulder.

"What would you like to do now? Do you want to walk around, go anywhere, or head home?" Bruno asked.

"Could we head home, but take the long way, and go slowly?" Yusei asked.

"Of course," Bruno replied, taking Yusei's hand.


	6. Chapter 6

Bruno sat comfortably on his couch, watching his boyfriend sleep peacefully with his head in his lap. He smiled softly, stroking the other's hair. He felt relieved for those moments—Yusei had not been sleeping well for a little while now. Bruno sighed and continued to stroke Yusei's hair, hoping that it was only kind and gentle dreams that danced in his boyfriend's mind as he slept now.

Bruno looked up and down the body of the other, noticing detail upon detail that sent his heart into a flutter. The slope of the boy's shoulders, the sharp curve of his hips, his slender legs, his prominent collarbone… Bruno found himself wanting to touch Yusei all over, find out what he tasted like… Bruno shook his head at the thought, clearing his mind, remembering that someone not resisting desires like those too many times was what made Yusei so barely able to tolerate being touched intimately at all. Bruno knew he would never lose control and hurt Yusei that way, but he felt a small, almost sensual twinge of guilt for thinking of Yusei that way.

Clouds moved to cover the sun outside, making the room grow darker. Bruno looked towards the window as rain began to fall. He watched the drops fall down the glass. Yusei stirred in his lap, seemingly in distress. Bruno placed his hand on Yusei's shoulder, soothing him back to a peaceful rest. Bruno wondered what it was that had been holding his beloved partner down so much lately, and wished he could send whatever evil it was out and away. An image of a text from Crow floated to the front of his mind. Crow had sent it shortly after they'd departed from the restaurant earlier that day. The message read: "He hasn't been the same since you died. Is that still haunting him this much?"" Bruno had replied, mostly truthfully, that he didn't know. He knew about Yusei's nightmares about that day, but since Yusei refused to discuss what was holding him down, Bruno had no way of knowing if the two were related.

Lightening lit up the sky, followed soon by thunder. Bruno looked down lovingly at Yusei and gently lifted his head off of his lap. Moving quickly, he slid into a reclined position behind Yusei on the couch. He pulled the sleeping boy close to himself and kissed the back of his head several times.

"I think you'll sleep even better in my arms, Yusei," Bruno whispered with a ink. Yawning, he nuzzled into the other's hair and drifted off.

"Shit…" Bruno pulled his phone out of his pocket and dialed a number frantically. As the other line rang, he continued moving through the house, looking in every room.

"Hey Bruno, what's up?" Crow's voice said over the phone.

"Hey Crow, is Yusei with you?" Bruno asked, panting slightly.

"No, haven't seen him, why?"

"Shit… Never should have let him out of my sight…"

"Well, its not exactly your responsibility to watch over him 24/7," Crow said. "What's going on?"

"I can't find him, I think he left the house… His duel runner is here, but his boots and jacket are gone… He didn't say he was going anywhere, but he's not answering his phone either."

"Huh, seems a bit out of character… Has he been acting differently?"

"He's been even more down…" The hint of worry in Bruno's voice escalated. "He hardly spoke at all over the past couple of days, and just… I don't know what's going through his head, but he can't be safe out there on his own like that."

"Ahh, I see," Crow replied. "Okay… I'll get ahold of Jack, and we can go out looking for him."

"Sounds great, thanks Crow." Bruno hung up and shoved his phone back into his pocket. He pulled on his jacket and slipped into his shoes. As a last thought, he grabbed Yusei's helmet before jumping onto his duel runner. He quickly got out onto the highway. Moments later, two cycles followed close behind him.

"Oi, Bruno!" Jack yelled. "What the hell happened to Yusei?"

"Easy, Jack," Crow called in a warning tone. "Bruno, any idea where he might've gone?"

"None," Bruno replied. "He didn't leave any notes or hints."

"Alright, well, maybe let's start at the park; it doesn't seem likely he'd have gone on the highway since we didn't pass him," Crow said. "He wouldn't have made it farther than this by foot."

The three took the next exit and rode quickly towards the park. As they approached a bridge, Bruno recognized a figure standing off to the side.

"There he is!" he yelled, turning quickly towards the road leading to the bridge. Crow and Jack followed closely.

Yusei appeared frozen in time for a moment. Then, unblinkingly, he climbed up onto the guard rail.

"Yusei!" Bruno yelled, quickly stopping his bike and running towards the other. Before he got there, Yusei stepped off the edge, falling into the water below. "NO!"

Without hesitating, Bruno dove off of the bridge after Yusei.

"BRUNO!" Crow yelled as he and Jack parked and dismounted their bikes. They ran to the edge and looked over, trying to spot their friends.

"Can Bruno's circuits withstand that amount of water?" Jack asked. Crow didn't answer immediately, his eyes scanning the water.

"Apparently, there he is," Crow said, pointing.

"He's got Yusei, good," Jack said, watching Bruno swim to the side, pulling Yusei with him. Jack and Crow ran down the bridge to the shore to meet Bruno.

"Thank God, you're both safe," Crow panted as he and Jack pulled the other two out of the water.

"Yusei…is hurt badly…" Bruno panted, lifting Yusei's shirt to reveal a large patch of internal bleeding.

"Shit, looks like his leg is broken, too," Crow said, pulling out his phone to call an ambulance while Jack gently worked to straighten the bent leg.

"What the bloody hell has been going on with him?" Jack asked. Bruno, exhausted, shook his head. "Are you alright?" Jack asked, surveying Bruno's heavily slouched posture.

"I'm fine, just…" Bruno shook his hair, sending some water flying. He hugged Yusei's head and shut his eyes. "Yusei…what were you trying to do…"

"Bruno, your wrist snapped," Crow said, hanging up his phone and staring at the blue-haired man's arm. Bruno lifted his arm and looked at his dangling hand. "It's okay, they'll do something for that at the hospital," Crow assured him.

Moments later, an ambulance arrived and took Yusei and Bruno. Crow and Jack followed closely on their duel runners. Shortly after arriving at the hospital, Yusei was admitted for surgery and Bruno was taken for a wrist x-ray. Crow and Jack sat in a waiting area, fidgeting uncomfortably. After a while, Bruno walked into the area towards them, his wrist casted in a splint. He smiled weakly.

"Its not bad, Yusei could have fixed it in an instant, but for now I'll have to wait for my human components to be able to heal it," he said with a shaky tone.

"Does it hurt?" Crow asked. Bruno shrugged.

"Not really, I mean I guess yes, but when I think of what Yusei must have been feeling-"

"Bruno, no," Crow stopped him.

"What the hell have you been doing to Yusei?" Jack said angrily, stepping towards Bruno. "You been abusing him?"

"Jack, stop," Crow warned.

"Letting him get to a state like this— our Yusei, the strongest person we know, going and trying to off himself!"

"I didn't know," Bruno said softly, looking at the ground.

"You didn't—are you daft?!" Jack raised a fist and aimed for Bruno.

"Jack, NO!" Crow caught Jack's fist. "We cannot blame anyone for this." He waited for Jack to lower his arm. "We just have to stay strong and wait. I am going to take Bruno to get his runner and a change of clothes, and then we will be back. Please, wait here."

Jack scowled for a moment before nodding silently in agreement. "Ride safely."

Bruno followed Crow outside to his duel runner. "Crow, I—"

"Its okay." Crow handed Bruno his helmet. "I grabbed this before following the ambulance."

"Thank you," Bruno said, taking the helmet.

"No one is blaming you for what happened to Yusei," Crow said, firmly. "Jack is wound up, of course, but he can't point fingers at you. Nobody could be blamed for this, not even Yusei himself. Things happen, and sometimes there's nothing anyone can do to stop them." Crow looked Bruno directly in the eyes. "I don't want to hear an apology, or that you regret not watching him more closely. I am very sure you did what you should have been doing." Crow paused to give Bruno a chance to speak. When he didn't, Crow continued. "Are you okay?"

"I…have to be," Bruno said, softly. "For Yusei."

Crow nodded and hopped on his duel runner. He indicated for Bruno to jump on as well. When he felt Bruno securely seated behind him, he drove back towards the bridge.

"Can you drive safely?" he asked, parking next to Bruno's runner.

"I can get it home safely."

"I'll follow you…be careful."

Bruno climbed onto his runner and slowly drove home. He found steering with one arm to be not as difficult as he'd imagined. He wanted for Crow to park in the driveway next to him before walking inside. Quickly, he went upstairs to his room, changed into dry clothing, and met Crow back in the kitchen.

"You know about his past with Kallin?" Crow asked out of the blue.

"Yes," Bruno replied. "Why?"

"Just making sure." Crow paused for a moment. "If you're fucking him, need to make sure you know what you're getting into."

"I've never had sex with Yusei—"

"You're planning to," Crow said flatly, looking sideways at Bruno. "Or he's planning to with you. I can tell."

"I—"

'You don't have to explain," Crow said, holding up a hand. "Its better if he initiates it, but it will be good for him to finally be able to move forward."

"He… Yusei was worried about—"

"Jack finding out?" Crow grinned. "I'm sorry that I keep cutting you off, just trying to reassure you that it'll all be fine. But yeah, I wouldn't let Jack know either."

Bruno nodded silently. He stared at the ground, tears filling his eyes. Crow gave him a questioning look. "I don't understand," he said, softly.

"Me neither, Bruno. There probably isn't anything to understand. We'll just have to watch him more closely after this." Crow approached Bruno slowly and then embraced him. Bruno held Crow tightly for a moment before pulling away and wiping his own eyes. Crow gave him a small smile. "Your wrist feeling okay?" Bruno nodded. "C'mon, let's get back to the hospital." Bruno followed Crow outside, putting his helmet on. As Crow drove back to the hospital, Bruno closed his eyes, feeling incredibly drained. He imagined Yusei, and replayed memories of the days before in his mind. Yusei had been down, yes, but given no indication that he would walk off of a bridge… Was he realy that down?

Crow parked his bike and led Bruno back to where Jack was waiting. Jack silently acknowledged them as entered and found seats. Another hour passed, and finally a nurse came out to speak to them.

"Yusei is waking up now," the nurse said. "The surgery went well; he is going to be just fine. His leg is in a cast, but the bone is set normally, and he is no longer bleeding internally. We can allow one visitor at first, and then more once we get him to a room."

"Go on," row said, nudging Bruno gently. Hesitantly, Bruno stood and followed the nurse. They walked down a hallway to an area where spaces with beds on wheels were separated by curtains. The nurse indicated to one of those spaces, and turned to leave. Slowly, Bruno stepped behind the curtain.

"Yusei," he whispered with a heavy exhale.

"Hey, Bruno," Yusei croaked, his eyes barely open. Bruno stepped to the bed quickly and grabbed hold of Yusei's hand.

"I'm here, Yusei," Bruno said, kneeling down next to the bed and kissing Yusei's hand. "I'm right here, I'm here with you."

"I'm so sorry," Yusei said, his voice barely making a sound.

"Don't be sorry," Bruno said through tears. "Don't be sorry. Its okay. Its all okay."

"Your wrist," Yusei said, noticing the splint.  
"Just a break," Bruno said. "Nothing to worry about. It's healing."

"I'll fix that."

"I know you will." Bruno nuzzled Yusei's hand. "Yusei…please, tell me…what happened?"

"I couldn't take it."

"Couldn't take what?"

Before Yusei could answer, a nurse came in and took his vitals. With everything normal, a couple of other nurses came over and quickly transferred Yusei to a room for the night.

"Where…are Jack and Crow?" Yusei asked Bruno. "Do they know?"

"Of course, they helped me find you. They're in a waiting area; one of the nurses is going to get them," Bruno replied.

"Get in this bed with me."

Bruno hesitated and looked towards the door. He then shrugged off his jacket and shoes and crawled into the bed with Yusei.

"Mmm…" Yusei melted into Bruno immediately. Bruno held him gently, wanting to cling tightly to him but afraid that he would upset Yusei's wounds. "Bruno… I forgot to tell you that I love you…"

"You forgot that I need you if I am going to stay alive," Bruno said, casting a doubtful look at Yusei. "If I break, we can wait for my human parts to heal, but if the component that causes that breaks—"

"I made it so that you could grow old," Yusei said softly, looking up at Bruno. "You can live a full life and grow old now."

"Why did you do that?"

"So that you could grow old with me."

"I want to grow old with you…but if that's what you want, then why did you try to leave?"

"Because I was confused… I'm still confused. Bruno, I don't know if I can admit- this is- gah, I don't have words for what it feels like."

"Yusei, this is the most you've spoken in a week."

"I can't stay silent anymore…not that I was trying to before, it just felt easier that way, but it can't stay that way. I have to tell, you, but I don't know how—"

Yusei paused as the door opened. Crow walked in, followed by Jack. Jack held his arms folded, and refused to make eye contact with anyone. He grew visibly more tense upon seeing Bruno in the bed with Yusei.

"Good to see the two of you are able to chum it up at a time like this," he snarled quietly.

"Jack," Crow warned, throwing him a look.

"I asked him to get in here with me," Yusei said, sliding a hand into Bruno's under the sheet. "I was cold."

"Pheh." Jack made a sound and rolled his eyes. Crow shot him another look.

"How are you feeling, Yusei?" Crow asked.

"I'm…a little dizzy," Yusei replied. "There are a lot of chemicals in me right now."

"You took quite a spill," Crow said, taking a seat next to the bed. "Can you tell us what's been going on?"

"I…" Yusei grimaced for a moment, feeling a twinge of pain course through him. Bruno squeezed his hand and gave him an encouraging look." I don't have the words…"

"Pfft, figures you can't even tell your closest friends," Jack snorted. "Even after all we've been through—"

"Jack, stop," Crow said.

"It's a load of shit, that's what it is," Jack continued. "After all we've done, been through, this blue-haired creep comes in, and—"

"Jack, that's enough," Crow said, more harshly. Under the sheets, a faint red glow appeared from where Yusei's arm lay.

"Oh, what, going to call the Crimson Dragon to come fix this for you," Jack growled.

"Jack, your arm, too," Yusei said, staring at Jack's arm which had also begun to glow. "It affects all of us. Your words are harsh enough, that—"

"That our marks are now glowing? Hah, isn't that just peachy!"

"Please, Jack," Bruno said, intervening. He squeezed Yusei's hand and climbed out of the bed. "This, whatever it is, is very hard for all of us to accept. I know you want to protect Yusei, I know you want to know what's going on inside his head—"

"You know what I want?" Jack yelled, glaring at Bruno. "I bet you know what caused this, what's killing him. So spill it, Bluey!"

"I don't know anything," Bruno said quickly, holding his hands up.

"Fine then, I have no problem pounding it out of you!" Jack lifted his fist to swing at Bruno.

"Jack, that's ENOUGH!" Crow lunged at Jack to tackle him to the ground.

Right as Crow made contact with Jack, the lights in the room went out, plunging them into total darkness.


	7. Chapter 7

Bruno awoke to the sounds of soft groans. He shook his head, waiting for his vision to fully load.

"Fuck," he heard Crow's voice utter. He tried to move, and found himself to be tied down to some sort of table. Finally, his vision came into focus. He looked around and saw that Yusei, Jack, and Crow were also each shackled down. He assessed the situation and determined hat Yusei, the only one with blood on his face, was in the worst condition.

"Bruno, you're up," Crow said. "Good, I was worried they'd damaged your circuits."

"My circuits—what happened?" Bruno asked.

"When the lights went out, we all received blows to the heads," Jack said. "Stupid bloody… I'm going to kick this guy's ass—"

"Who?"

"Erm…well," Crow started. "His name is Dartz, and he's not from this time. In fact…not from any time we've had connections with. Like, hundreds of years before Duelist Kingdom took place. He has…powers, but they might be running out, and he's trying to harness our signer powers to rekindle his own."

"Harness your signer powers—so why is Yusei bleeding?" Bruno asked, trying to process the obscure information.

"Our marks faded the moment we arrived here," Crow said, indicating himself and Jack. "Apparently there's not power in us at the moment. Yusei, though… He's been tortured for hours."

"Hours?!" Bruno exclaimed. "We've been here for hours?!"

"Yes… We were worried, with you not waking up—"

"It was peaceful," Jack interjected.

"Jack, for once, can you act appropriately?" Crow pleaded. "You can settle your differences once we get out of this. Hearing your best friend screaming is anything but peaceful…"

"Yusei was screaming?" Bruno gasped. "I must have shut down and had to reboot completely…to not be able to hear a thing like that…"

"Yes, well… Its good that you're awake. One less thing to worry about." Crow let his head fall back against the table he was shackled to. "We need to get out of here."

As Crow finished his sentence, the door opened. In walked a figure with knee length light blue hair. Bruno watched as Crow flinched away as the figure walked past him, dragging a long-nailed finger under his chin. Bruno tried to make eye-contact with Crow and noticed that Crow seemed a bit ashamed.

"The cyborg is awake," the person said in a bored, monotonous tone, "but no change from the lead signer. How disappointing." He typed on something that looked like a computer console. "Next module, test the cyborg…"

"Oh shit," Crow uttered.

"Haven't you hurt enough people already?" Jack said, rolling his eyes. "Give it up, Dartz. Yusei's too in control. He'll never give it up for you."

"I'll keep that in mind," Dartz said in that same monotone drawl as before. He picked up something that resembled a remote, pointed it at Bruno, and hit a button.

"Ah—FUCK!" Bruno yelled. He convulsed for a moment. "Geez, what…"

"Bruno—" Crow started, but was interrupted as Dartz pressed the button again.

"Geezes!" Bruno gasped after convulsing again. "Something…something in my head…gah!"

Dartz had pushed the button again. Bruno was once again left gasping. Crow watched his face, trying to figure out where Bruno was getting hit. He noticed something black stuck to the side of Bruno's temple.

"Shit… Bruno, he's got something attached to you—is he—he's going to fry out your circuits!" Crow yelled. Dartz pressed the button again, sending Bruno into another fit of spasms.

"No…"

A soft voice cut through the noise. Jack and Crow turned to Yusei, and saw that their friend's eyes were slightly opened.

"Yusei? You alright?" Jack asked. Dartz pressed the button repeatedly, causing Bruno to scream loudly as he convulsed.

"No…" Yusei groaned again. "Stop…" His eyes opened more. "Ah—stop! NO!" He yelled as he saw Bruno writhing in pain beneath his restraints. "Leave my boyfriend alone!"

Time seemed to freeze for a moment. Yusei's arm was glowing bright red. Dartz looked at the mark before typing something on the computer and leaving the room.

"Boyfriend?" Jack echoed softly. "This blue-haired freak is YOUR boyfriend?!"

"Easy, Jack," Crow said.

"Did you know about this?" Jack yelled to Crow.

"No, not really," Crow answered honestly. "I knew they'd gotten closer, but…"

"Yusei, you fucking…" Jack was growling. "We've been friends our whole lives, but you couldn't bother to tell me that—"

"Because I know you, Jack," Yusei interrupted, staring directly into Jack's eyes. "I know you, and knew you'd react this way. I know how protective you are towards me, and I appreciate that, but its not always necessary. I didn't want you to be upset."

"Didn't want me to be upset, eh? So just how exactly were you planning to tell me, then? Or were you just going to hide from me for the rest of your life?"

"A lot more delicately than this is how I was going to tell you," Yusei said. "Jack, you have been my friend for my whole life. You mean a lot to me, and your feelings matter to me. So of course I want to protect your feelings and so planned to take the time to ease into this with you. After the shit that happened with Kallin, you were on a murderous rampage for so long. That's not healthy for you, and I couldn't let that happen again. So… I'm sorry, Jack."

Jack turned away. Yusei sighed before continuing. "I've been unhealthy lately. Dangerously so. I'm sorry for that; I got all of you into so much trouble as a result. I'm so sorry for putting you through this… I want to say that I think I am okay now, that I've woken up and snapped out of it, but I know that can't possibly put your minds at ease. Jack…truly… I am sorry."

"We forgive you, Yusei," Crow said. "We just want you to be okay."

"Thank you." Yusei turned to Bruno, who was still breathing a bit harder than normal. "I'll fix you when we get home, Bruno…"

"Haha, I'm alright," Bruno said with a hint of a smile. "That hurt a lot, but I didn't take on any damage."

"One of your eyes turned red," Yusei said.

"Huh… Well, maybe I did a little, then. As far as I can tell, I'm thinking and moving normally." Bruno smiled fully at Yusei. "Don't worry about me. In fact, hang on…" Bruno closed his eyes for a moment. The shackles around him shook and then melted off. He stood up and walked over to Yusei. He held his hands on the shackles, and they also fell off.

"How did you do that?" Crow asked as Bruno freed Jack.

"I'm really hot right now," Bruno said, finally setting Crow free.

"Thank you," Yusei said, standing up. He turned to Jack and Crow. "Ready to go home?" He held out his hand. Each of his friends put a hand on his arm and closed their eyes as the mark of the Crimson Dragon glowed brightly.

When they opened their eyes, they were standing outside of Yusei and Bruno's house. "You've really mastered your signer powers, huh?" Crow asked.

"Its easier when I feel so strongly about something," Yusei replied. He took a breath and looked towards the house. "Let's go inside, shall we?" Bruno and Jack each gave him an arm to hold, so that he wouldn't attempt to walk on his casted leg.

The four entered the house and took a seat in the living room. They sat in silence for a while before Yusei spoke. "I…uhm…owe all of you an explanation." He took a deep breath before continuing. "I, uhm… I was struggling with something that… I've been hiding for a while, and know now that I should have been open about. It got really out of control, and just…took over me. It was exaggerated largely by something that happened, that I know I shouldn't feel badly about, but I haven't been able to let go yet."

"What is it, Yusei?" Bruno asked softly. Yusei looked up at him, tears in his eyes.

"You died," he said, his voice choking up. Bruno looked taken aback.

"But- but Yusei, we talked about that. You saved me."

"I know," Yusei said, tears dripping down his face. "I know It still hurt, so unbearably, and stuck with me all this time. It kept replaying in my mind, again and again. I couldn't get away from it. Even with the little bits that I did talk about it, it wasn't getting better. A few months ago, I was diagnosed with PTSD. I…hid that from all of you, and was in denial about it for a long time. The more I think about it, though, the more it makes sense. Jack, Crow, you both went through traumatic childhoods with me. Then almost losing you so many times when our city was threatened by the various villains who tried to destroy everyone's lives, the pressure of having to save the city, twice, and the final time having to make a decision to sacrifice my own life to save it… I wasn't supposed to walk away from that, but I did. Bruno, watching you die…and the trauma that followed with dragging out your body and feeling so wracked with guilt the entire time I worked on you… My relationship with Kallin…" Yusei paused to swallow deeply. "It became too much. I'm the hero that Neo-Domino looks up to and relies on. I'm not as strong as everyone thinks, though. I'm not as strong as any of you think."

Yusei stopped and looked up at each of his friends. Instead of anger or hurt, as he'd anticipated, he saw care and understanding, faces fixated on him and ears drinking in every word that he said. After a few moments of silence, Crow started to clap. Jack and Bruno joined in. Yusei looked at each of them, confused.

"You are a hero," Jack said.

"You just saved our lives, again," Crow said.

"You didn't let me die," Bruno said, smiling warmly. "That's something you felt badly about, isn't it? That you couldn't stop me from dying the first time? Well, today you got a second chance with it, and prevented me from dying altogether."

"I've never once seen you cower in fear," Jack said. "Even when I'm threatening you, you face everything with bravery and grit."

"You've been through an incredible amount of mind-shaking situations," Crow said. "You're not at all weak. You are even stronger than we think you are. The fact that you were living with that secret for so long, and still went about your regular life until most recently, is truly remarkable. Please, now though, take it easy, and let us help you. Don't keep trying to carry this burden on your own."

"I…thank you…" Yusei felt himself starting to lose composure again and covered his face with his hands. Bruno moved quickly and smoothly closer to him. He lifted Yusei and gently, being careful of his broken leg, placed him on his own lap. He held him tightly while he cried. Crow and Jack each moved to sit on either side of Bruno and Yusei. Crow took one of Yusei's hands while Jack took the other. Bruno pressed his face to Yusei's head, his own eyes now overflowing with tears.

"You've been through so much…" Bruno whispered. "You've worked so hard. You've done so much for us. You've done so much extra for me. You don't deserve to feel this way…but you do, and I won't ever let you feel alone again." Bruno struggled to keep from sobbing loudly. "I almost lost you… I almost let you walk away for good… That can never happen… Never…"

"You saved him," Crow said, also getting choked up, putting his free hand on Bruno's shoulder. "We almost lost him, too, but thanks to you, he's still here with us." Losing his own composure, Crow leaned in to put an arm around Bruno and move the arm holding Yusei's hand to around Yusei instead. Jack rolled his eyes and leaned in closer as well, tears forming in his own eyes.

"You're all soft," he said with a laugh. "But I don't know what I'd do without you… Even you, Bluey, since you seem to be the thing that makes Yusei's heart tick. I'll still pound you into the ground if you ever hurt him though."

Bruno laughed and reached up to wipe the tears from his face. Yusei's hand shot up and beat him to it. "You need to let that wrist rest," he said, tapping the cast gently. Bruno nodded and helped Yusei back into an upright seated position on the couch. Jack and Crow each wiped their own eyes.

"Alright, so then… How can we help you, Yusei?" Crow asked.

Yusei stared at the ground. "I…don't know," he said, quietly.

"Yusei," Bruno said softly, repositioning his arm around the other. "I know this is probably a stretch for you, and maybe even completely foreign idea, but…would you, maybe, consider going into therapy for a while?"

"Therapy?" Yusei echoed.

"Yes, at least until your leg has fully healed- I can only imagine not being able to walk will because traumatic for you after a while. You've been through so much trauma already, too… I know that right now, you are okay, but your mind can't heal from all that its been through so quickly."

"I…never thought I'd end up needing counseling," Yusei said. "When I was diagnosed with PTSD, of course they tried to push it on me, but I refused, thought it was a load of garbage that I didn't need. I thought I was above that. Everyone else seemed to think so, at least, so why shouldn't I be above it? I mean, how many times did I save the city?"

"You saved the whole world, Yus," Crow laughed. "And what did you get in thanks for it? A whole lot of gratitude, which is great, and a mental disorder. Awesome. So saving the world is an amazing thing to be able to lay claim to, but you're suffering from it. We got lucky this time, but none of us could stand to lose you for real, and I'm not so sure your head or your heart can take a lot more before you have to give up."

"I… It seems so foolish to have to resort to it, but I suppose I can try. If…you three will help me through it."

"Of course we'll help you, stupid," Jack said. "What else are we here for?"

Yusei found himself feeling a new appreciation for the company of his friends as the rest of the day dragged on. He guessed it had to do with feeling gratitude towards them for saving his life, and found that he felt that he truly did not want to die. He couldn't help but feel a bit more than a twinge of regret for his actions, though, and made a note to talk to Bruno about it when they retired to bed later.

"You sure you're alright with this guy in your bed?" Jack whispered loudly to Yusei, who was sitting upright in his own bed waiting.

"Yes, Jack… Bruno takes good care of me."

"Alright, well… I still don't like it, and just remember that I'll be right on the other side of this wall, you know, if he tries to pull anything."

"I appreciate your services, Jack," Yusei chuckled, rolling his eyes. Jack gave him another look and walked out of the room. Moments later, Crow came in.

"Did he say something stupid again?" Crow asked, jerking his head towards the direction Jack had headed.

"Of course," Yusei replied. "There'd probably be something truly wrong if he hadn't."

"Yeesh… Well, at least he'll shut up about it once he's settled himself in for the night…I hope. I don't need to be woken up by his whining."

"I think he will… Thank you for staying here tonight with me." Yusei shifted himself against the pillows he was propped up against. "I know with Bruno next to me, I'll have nothing to be afraid of, but I feel better knowing you two are here as well, in case I need you."

"Of course," Crow replied, sitting down on the bed next to Yusei. "We could never leave you after what happened today. It…being completely honest, it's a little weird to see you up and talking normally, when just this morning you were, well… People don't typically recover that quickly."

"I think I can thank the Crimson Dragon for that," Yusei said, looking at the spot on his arm that had glowed brightly several times that day. "I think his powers allowed me to snap back to my usual self so suddenly."

"That's awesome, if it is the case." Hearing footsteps, Crow turned to see that Jack had returned to the doorway. "Well, we'll get out now so you can get some rest. You…will tell us, if you need anything, won't you?"

"I will, Crow. Thank you." Yusei leaned forward to give his friend a hug. "I'm sorry for hiding what I was dealing with from you before."

"We forgive you, obviously," Crow said with a laugh, returning the embrace. After a moment, he stood up and gave Yusei one last smile before turning to leave.

"G'night, Yusei," Jack said, also turning to leave. Pausing at the doorway, he turned and said, "Right through that wall…we're right there."

"I know," Yusei said with a smile. Crow and Jack disappeared from view. Yusei learned back and exhaled deeply. He lifted the blanket and looked at his casted leg. A frown spread across his lips as he remembered words Bruno had said to him not so long ago. _'Your body is beautiful.' _Staring at the cast, Yusei wondered how Bruno could possibly see him as beautiful… Just as soon as the thought entered his mind, it was chased away by the entrance of said blue-haired man.

"Feeling alright?" Bruno asked with a smile, pulling the door closed behind him. He walked towards the bed.

"Yes," Yusei replied, holding up the blanket for Bruno to crawl under. Once he'd settled in under the blankets, Bruno put an arm around Yusei and pulled him close for a moment.

"Good, I'm glad," he said, giving his dark-haired friend a smile. "I…was so afraid today that I was losing you."

"I'm sorry for scaring you," Yusei said, taking Bruno's hand. "I should have known better than to try something so stupid…but I wasn't in my right mind. I am now, but I know it'll take more to get me there the whole way."

"Nothing to apologize for." Bruno closed his eyes and nuzzled Yusei's head. "I'm just glad you're still here with me." He looked down at the blankets and ran his gaze over where Yusei's cast made the blankets wrinkle upwards. "How's your leg feeling?"

"Its okay," Yusei said, looking down at his own leg. "It…hurts, of course, but its not awful. I'll be okay. How's your wrist?"

"Also okay," Bruno replied with a light laugh. "I'm sure its healing well, thanks to your hard work on me, and will be even better when you're feeling well enough to have a look at it."

"I could look at it right now if you wanted to get up again," Yusei said, pulling the blankets back slightly. Bruno put out a hand to stop him and shook his head.

"You need rest now, but maybe tomorrow? If you're up for it?"

"Of course," Yusei replied. He looked at Bruno's casted wrist, feeling a twinge of guilt for it, but chasing the thought away and instead thinking about what he would need to do to restore full function to the damaged joint. His face fell slightly, just barely enough for Bruno to notice.

"What's wrong?" The blue-haired man asked, looking concernedly into the eyes of the other.

"That shouldn't have happened." Yusei continued to stare at the casted wrist.

"No, no…Yusei…" Bruno wrapped both arms around the other, pulling him close. He kissed the top of the other's head repeatedly. "You can't think like that. Not anymore."

"I couldn't save you…"

"I didn't need saving this time. You did." Bruno squeezed Yusei tighter. "I have to save you from what's going on inside your head… I can't do it alone, though. You have to promise you'll be more open to accepting help. This can't happen to you again."

"I will…this time…but you have to go with me…"

"I'll be with you for as much of it as I can, as much as I am allowed…but won't you need time without me, to be able to share even that which you can't share with me?"

"There is nothing I can't share with you… I was an idiot for trying to hide what I've got, what I'd been going through. I should have told you…should have told—"

Yusei's sentence was cut off as Bruno's lips met his, locking into a kiss. Feeling Bruno breathe against him, Yusei relaxed and allowed his eyelids to flutter shut as he leaned back into the kiss. Delicately, he freed one of his arms from Bruno's embrace and reached up to tangle his fingers in the blue hair. A few moments later, the two released the kiss. Yusei looked nervously up into Bruno's eyes and blushed.

"You can tell me anything, whenever you are ready. If you're not ready, that's okay. Whatever your lips aren't saying to me, they'll tell me in other ways." Bruno winked at Yusei, causing Yusei to blush even more brightly.

"M-message received," Yusei stuttered, smiling slightly. Bruno smiled fully, prompting him to lean in and once again lock lips with the man he loved. "I'll tell you everything, eventually. Starting with something I needed to say more often in the first place."

"What's that?" Bruno asked, twirling a finger in the other's hair.

"I love you."

Bruno felt warmth spread through his entire body. He smiled again, feeling his face flush slightly. "I love you, too." Yusei responded by leaning in and kissing him again several times. When Yusei had finished, Bruno sighed. "Ready to get some rest?"

"In your arms? Definitely." Yusei reached up to turn off the lamp on the bedside table. Bruno held the blankets up for him to slide completely under and lie down. Being careful of each other's casts, the two moved together into a comfortable embrace. "Hey, Bruno?"

"Yeah, Yusei?"

"Thank you for saving me today."


	8. Chapter 8

_Yusei arrived home to see Kallin's duel runner already parked in the driveway. As he walked towards the house, he noticed the door wasn't shut completely…never a good sign. Feeling anxiety build up, he took a deep breath and slowly pushed the door open. Immediately inside the house was very quiet, very clean, as it had always been. Yusei relaxed a little bit, and took off his boots and gloves. He walked to the bathroom, grabbed the orange pumice soap, and scrubbed all of the oil and dirt from the day's work off of his hands. He took an extra moment while drying his hands to look at himself in the mirror. His eyes were becoming a bit sunken in, not just from exhaustion of the day's work, but many days of working away from his own garage, many days of not sleeping anywhere near as much as he needed to, and many days of spending too many hours with tears pouring silently from his face as his body became more and more hurt._

_He'd been finding comfort in traveling further out of the city to explore new places to find cards and rebuild his deck. However, he could only get so far away while still keeping up his work obligations, and had been running out of places to go. So, with weary and apprehension, he'd returned home a bit earlier than he'd wanted to. Cautiously, he walked to the living room. Immediately, his anxiety levels flared through the roof and he felt his breathing catch. The smell was abhorrent. Alcohol bottles lay strewn across the table, the couch, the floor… He did a double-take; he'd just cleaned up this mess yesterday. But yet here he was, standing, staring at the horrid sight again. His eyes darted nervously around for the owner of the mess. A pair of hands suddenly clasped his shoulders, and he gasped as he felt hot breath against the back of his neck._

"_Welcome home, Yusei," a voice said in a startlingly clear way._

"_K-Kallin," Yusei replied, gulping nervously. "W-what happened here? I thought I threw away all of these bottles yesterday."_

"_You did," the voice snarled with a bit of a laugh. "This is today's load."_

"_Today—" Yusei interrupted himself and broke free of the hold of the hands to turn around. "Kallin, you drank all of this today alone?"_

"_Easy-peasy," Kallin replied, giving Yusei a crooked smile. "S'more filling than food, and easier to swallow. Plus, makes this crooked world look a little more even."_

"_Kallin…" Yusei sighed and relaxed his tensed figure. He reached up and gently cupped the other's face in his hands. "This world isn't so crooked… Its what's been going on inside your head that's crooked. You don't need this. You need food, water, help…"_

"_What I need is you," Kallin said, leaning down so that his forehead touched against Yusei's. "All of you…your insides, your outsides, your thoughts…"_

_Yusei closed his eyes and held his breath. The scent of alcohol wafted off of Kallin in waves and Yusei felt slightly sick to his stomach. "Kallin…you know that I love you but that I can't…"_

_ "Oh come on, you gave in to me quickly enough last night."_

_ "You forced yourself on me, Kallin," Yusei said firmly. "I don't consent to it when you're like this, in one of your spells."_

_ "The alcohol helps stable me out," Kallin hissed. "You know that."_

_ "No, it just makes you less able to see what's going on around you." Yusei put his hands firmly on Kallin's shoulders and stepped back, leaving a foot or two of space between them. "Whether you're drinking or not, when you fall into one of your spells, you're not yourself, and you're not in your right mind. When you add drinking into that equation, though, there's no way the real you has any control, at all."_

_ "Aw you're just not seeing clearly, Yusei." Kallin grabbed hold of Yusei's shoulders and shoved him backwards onto the couch. "But don't worry, I can help you with that."_

_ "No—Kallin, no—I'm seeing clearly, you're the one who can't—"_

_ "Shh," Kallin said, pulling a piece of rope out from under the couch cushions. "Don't worry, Yusei. I'll make you see colors." _

_ "You were keeping that in the couch?!" Yusei exclaimed, struggling to fight back as Kallin straddled his hips and pinned him down. _

_ "I find it's important to be prepared," Kallin replied with a twisted smile as he tied Yusei's wrists together above his head. "Just in case."_

_ "Just in case what—Kallin, stop this! Let me go!" _

_ "Where would the fun be in that? After last night, I thought it'd be even more fun to rev things up a bit." Kallin leaned down and smashed his lips against Yusei's forcing his tongue inside the other's mouth. Yusei thrust his head backwards to pull away. _

_ "Last night, I did not give you consent! I do not give you consent now, either!" Yusei continued to struggle against the other. Despite his slight figure, Kallin was quite a bit taller than Yusei, and unfortunately for Yusei, knew how to use his center of gravity to his advantage. "Kallin, please, listen to me… You're hurting me…" His belt had been unbuckled and discarded. The button and zipper on his pants had been undone. "Kallin…no…don't do this… I know you're in there somewhere and I know you can hear me…" His pants were gone, thrown aside onto the floor. He felt a bit woozy… The kiss earlier had tasted a bit funny. Kallin must have had something in his own mouth to use to sedate him. Yusei struggled to keep his vision completely in focus. "Kallin…please…" His legs were bent, feet held back over his shoulders. He had no strength left to fight back, and closed his eyes tightly as he felt Kallin force his way inside once again. He'd already been so bruised from the past few days; marks covered his legs and hips where Kallin's fingers had dug in too hard. It was all he could do to keep from screaming as the other man thrust violently in and out of him. He bit down on his own lip so hard that he could taste a drip of blood and kept his eyes shut tightly. He didn't want to see Kallin, his boyfriend, his lover…as he was being violated by a version of Kallin that was so far out of his own mind. After a few minutes, Kallin finished, leaned down to aggressively kiss Yusei again, then got up and staggered out of the room. Yusei lay there quietly for a few minutes, eyes still shut, wanting to be sure that the nightmare was over. When he was sure that Kallin was not coming back, he opened his eyes and lowered his still tied wrists. Working carefully to not strain the tendons in his hands, he managed to loosen the ropes and free his wrists. Without making a sound, he found his shorts on the ground and pulled them on, not bothering with his pants. Quickly, he walked to the kitchen to get a trash bag and returned to the living room to clean up the mess. Within a matter of minutes, he'd collected all of the empty bottles, straightened the couch cushions, and retrieved his pants and belt. Limping stiffly, he made his way upstairs to the bathroom and went in, making sure to lock the door. He turned on the shower and slumped down to the floor against the wall. He saw a couple of red drops on the floor and looked at his own legs to see a small stream of blood dripping down. He closed his eyes and leaned back against the wall. After exhaling heavily, he reached for his pants and fished his phone out of the pocket. Barely looking at the keyboard as he typed, he sent a message to Crow._

_ 'Bad day again. Just wanted to let you know, as promised.'_

_ After a minute, the phone buzzed and displayed a return message._

_ 'Aw shit, did he get you again?'_

_ 'Yeah… I'm hurt bad this time.'_

_ 'How bad?'_

_ 'I'm bleeding. Just a little, not enough to cause alarm.' _

_ 'Shit, Yus… Do you want Jack and I to come over there? I know you said to stay out of it, but…' _

_ 'No, I don't want him to feel under attack anymore than he already does in his own head. I still want to save him.'_

_ 'I get that, Yus, but at the expense of your own wellness?'_

_ 'I'll be fine…soon enough. Shower's warm now, going to get in.'_

_ 'Alright…take care of yourself, and really, we can be there in an instant if you want us.'_

_ Yusei smiled weakly at the phone and hugged it to his chest for a moment. He then put it on the counter out of harm's way and carefully lifted himself into the shower._

"That was just one incident. There were many other's like it, but that was the first time I bled after."

"That was—that happened more than once?!" Bruno gaped at Yusei, working hard to processeverything he'd just been told. Yusei nodded slightly. "How…how did you stay there?"

"Well, it was my house… I didn't really have anywhere else to go, besides to Jack and Crow's place. I didn't want to impose on them, and I also was convinced that I could save Kallin and didn't want to leave him alone. I didn't trust anyone else to treat him with kindness, with how far…gone…he was." Yusei looked to the ground. "I should have left earlier…but…"

"Its not in your nature to leave someone who is in trouble," Bruno said, studying Yusei's slouched posture. "One of your traits as a leader is to always stick by those who need help, and not to abandon them. Its…both a blessing, and a curse, it seems." Bruno watched Yusei's fingers as they fidgeted absently with the hem of his own shirt.

"I…felt so empty…after he'd…do that to me." Yusei swallowed. "Like…like he'd taken all that was inside me and just…torn it out."

"Did you share that feeling with anyone?"

"I…no. That I kept to myself." Yusei swallowed hard again. "You're the first person I've shared that with."

"Why didn't you share that with Crow?"

"Bruno, you better than anyone else should know that feeling, after how Z-One used you," Yusei said, rolling his eyes and looking at Bruno.

"I…yeah, I suppose I do," Bruno said softly. "I…often forget those feelings. I wasn't even in this body when I felt them…or, at least this version of this body. My new life with you never leaves me feeling that way, and so I…forget."

Yusei gave a small sad smile and nodded his head. "I want to forget, too. But I still feel it sometimes…" Being careful of his casted leg, he shifted himself closer to Bruno. "I want to…be closer to you…" He placed a hand high up on Bruno's leg. "I want you to touch me… I want to feel you more completely." He leaned in slightly, and didn't flinch back when Bruno placed a hand gently on his face. "But I…can't get there yet."

Bruno closed the gap between their lips. He felt Yusei lean into the kiss and stroked his thumb along his face gently. Their breathing fell into sync, and when they were ready, they gently finished the kiss and moved apart. Bruno slowly opened his eyes and gazed into Yusei's half-lidded eyes. "I'll help you get there," he said softly, in almost a whisper. "I won't push you, I won't leave you feeling empty. I won't rush you, but I won't leave you before we get there. You made me whole again… Let me do the same for you."

"Bruno…" Yusei leaned in and kissed his blue-haired companion again. "I already…feel so safe, so secure, with you. That's not something I programmed you for, either. That's a part of the original you. I'm…so happy it is. It wouldn't do me any good if it was something I'd made myself, I'd just second guess it. It would become corrupt."

"I'm glad to be useful to somebody just as I am," Bruno said with a wink. "I feel honored that you were able to open up to me with the story you told me earlier. Now, do you think you'll be able to share it again at your appointment tomorrow?"

"I…can certainly try," Yusei replied. "If…if it gets too hard, can you help me?"

"I can, but I think the doctor will want to hear it from you. You're a better storyteller than I am."

"Psh, that's not true and we both know it," Yusei said, laughing. Bruno joined him in laughter.

"I'll make sure you stay on track and don't leave anything out. Don't worry."


End file.
